February Sees Slump in Confidence of US Employees, Still Up Over 2013

Randstad’s most recent U.S. Employee Confidence Index has shown that U.S. workers have experienced a decline in optimism from January to February, but confidence is still up over the year. The Index dipped from 56.7 in January to 54.0 (a five month high), indicating that employees are less confident in their employers, job prospects, and the economy at large. However, more workers have indicated that they are likely to conduct a job search over the next 12 months.

Consumer spending is predicted to grow throughout 2014 and economic expansion is expected to grow to its highest levels since the end of the recession in 2009. Link says that the decline in employee confidence is probably not a growing trend. Over the past year, the Employee Confidence Index has fluctuated from a low of 52.1 in January 2013 to a peak of 58.0 in August.

Joshua Bjerke, from Savannah, Georgia, focuses on articles involving the labor force, economy, and HR topics including new technology and workplace news. Joshua has a B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in International Studies and is currently pursuing his M.A. in International Security.